


Blood of the Covenant

by Mysana



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Magical Dudley Dursley
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-13 18:12:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14753786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysana/pseuds/Mysana
Summary: On the very early morning of March 9th two boys named Dudley and Harry were left on the steps of an orphanage without anything more than a name label on each of their shirts. There wasn't a single last name between them.





	1. Chapter 1

Wool’s Orphanage was not a cheerful place to be by any rights. The children were not spoiled, the food was not extravagant, the clothes were rarely first hand. However, not of this was due to cruelty and much more due to lack of funding. There were well over 200 children and the private funding barely kept them afloat since the government funding trickled in.

There were two boys of particular note in this orphanage. 11 year old Harry Bennett was a small child with a thin figure and swift fingers, he had a head of wild black hair that was always a touch too long, and a sharp grin. His bright green eyes were the focus of many a potential foster parent, which he thought odd considering his lightening bolt scar was far more interesting. 11 year old Dudley Bennett, thought similar in height, was the near opposite of his brother. He was of a rounder figure with plain blond hair and frankly watery blue eyes. He was often over looked in favour of his younger brother.

In truth the two boys could guess they were not brothers by birth. They looked too different. But they had read a book about becoming blood brothers and had exchanged blood and made solemn vows to look after each other, so it didn’t really matter.

What did matter was that on a fairly day, the 23rd of June, more than three months after they had celebrated their eleventh birthday, a old woman came to visit them. She said her name was Minerva McGonagall and that she needed to speak with Dudley in private. Harry had very nearly laughed in her face. They had learned long ago that you should never be alone with adults - they simply couldn’t be trusted. The last time they had gotten Harry alone they’s sent him off with a “foster family”, it had not ended well for anyone. Except for the fact that the staff didn’t even bother to try and separate Harry and Dudley anymore.

The woman had finally allowed Harry to be present, admitting that usually family was allowed to learn of the special situation the were in. Mrs. McGonagall sat them down in the room usually reserved for potential parents, and explained that Dudley had been admitted to a very special boarding school in Scotland. This was unbelievable on its own. Then she went on to explain that it was because he was magical. Which seemed highly unbelievable. However when she turned into a cat and then back into an older Scottish woman, Harry was forced to admit that maybe she was on to something.

She asked if anything strange had happened when Dudley was mad, or scared, Harry suddenly remembered when one of volunteers had called Harry a no-good, rat of a thief and declared that Harry would be left in the orphanage to rot and that he would “no doubt be a convicted criminal before your majority”. Harry had been angry, but Dudley had been furious. His face had reached a level of red that was well on it’s way to purple had his hands had been gripped into shaky, meaty fists. The volunteer’s tight fitting suit had turned into comical prison stripes.

They had been on their own and the volunteer had screamed at them before running off. When she returned, she hadn’t seemed to remember. The boys had decided they’d made it up as revenge. Harry reminded Dudley of the incident and they nodded in agreement.

“But Harry can come with me, right?”

“I’m afraid not, only witches and wizards are allowed at Hogwarts.”

“Well I’m not going without him.” Dudley looked over at Harry and tucked his arm around the smaller boy, “either we both go or neither of us go. And really, I don’t need to learn magic. We manage fine on our own.”

“Unfortunately Mr. Bennett, you must go to a wizarding school as untrained magic can be highly dangerous.” McGonagall said, her voice was calm but very clear. Harry ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t know what to do.

“But Harry, you’ve done magic as well,” Dudley said, “remember when you turned Mr. Turner blue?” Of course Harry remembered that, he’d been in class and Mr. Turner had been yelling at him for cheating - which he hadn’t -and all Harry had been thinking the he understood the idea of yelling until you were blue in the face. Then, with very little fanfare, Mr. Turner had turned blue.

“That was probably you, you’re the wizard after all.”

“I don’t think so, I was mad but I was already planning on putting glue on his chair.”

“Oh. I guess it might’ve been me. I had been thinking that he was going to turn blue in the face from all that yelling.”

The older witch looked at the smaller boy for a moment. She had barely glanced at him before but a horrid itch grew in the back of her mind. _Dudley_ … Muggles were strange creatures but she hadn’t met a lot of Dudleys. In fact. She’d only heard the name once before. The Dursleys. She hadn’t thought of them in _years_. Headmaster Dumbledore had assured her that he’d checked on them, and that although it wasn’t ideal, it was necessary. But this blond boy had Lily Potter’s lips. And, the dark haired boy - Harry - had James’ messy black hair. Lily’s shocking green eyes.

“Mr. Bennett- Harry, -do you have a scar on your forehead?”

“Yeah? I do…”

“Is it shaped like a lightening bolt?”

“Yeah… Why?”

Minerva sighed. Something had gone very wrong in the years in between. Regardless. She had two small wizards on her hands. One of whom was Harry Potter and therefore at risk of attack. She briefly wished she could speak with Dumbledore, but she had thought he’d been wrong to place Harry with the Dursley’s in the beginning and this seemed like proof she was right. As it was she had to act right now. 

“Ah, it is as I feared. Well, know I know why your name wasn’t on the list. You, unlike your brother here, were wizard born. Your name is Harry James Potter.” Minerva turned to the blond boy, “and you were born Dudley Dursley. You are Mr. Potter’s cousin on your mother’s side.” Minerva watched as the boys shared a long look before larger boy pulled Harry even closer. “Because Mr. Potter already has a status in the Wizarding world his name never changed, but because your name, Mr. Bennett was legally changed, it so changed on the Hogwarts list.”

“So… what happened to my Mum and Dad?” Dudley asked, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know… but… it was the question every orphan asked themselves every day.

“I can’t be sure, but I can find out for you. As for Mr. Potter, I do know that your parents are both deceased. They are part of a rather long story that I will have to tell you before we enter the Wizarding world. As it is, can I mark that you are both choosing to go to Hogwarts instead of a different wizarding school such as Durmstrang or Beauxbatons?”

“There are other schools?” Harry asked, his voice clear, but his eyes never left his lap.

“There are, but Hogwarts is the best. As for the other schools in Europe. Mr. Bennett would not be welcome at Durmstrag, and I would guess that neither of you are fluent in French?” The boys nodded. “Then Hogwarts is your best option.” The boys shared another long look and Minerva took note that at least they had each other. They were like twins, not cousins. She smiled quietly to herself, or all the horror this situation had brought, at least they weren’t alone.

“Yeah, I guess we’ll go to Hogwarts. It’s just… we don’t have any money to pay for it.” Harry mumbled, clearly embarrassed. 

“Ah, you’re parents, Mr. Potter, will have already paid for you, and Mr. Bennett will be paid for through scholarship.”

“Oh okay.”

“Now, unless you have any more questions, I’ll come by tomorrow to take the two of you shopping for school supplies.” The boys shook their heads and Minerva smiled, “have a good day boys, I imagine you have quite a lot of talk about.” Minerva opened the door and went on her way to speak with the head matron.


	2. Chapter 2

“I think it would be best to get the worst of today out of the way first.” Minerva said, looking at the two boys. They were, once again, sitting so closely together that they may as well be sharing chairs.

“I’m sorry to inform you Mr. Bennett, that your parents are both well and alive and when I spoke to them, insisted that they didn’t want a magic user in their house. As it is, it is with my greatest apology that you shall both have to stay here in the mean time, until we can find a wizarding family to take you both in.” Minerva was aware that her voice was frosty when she spoke of Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, how two parents could give up their children baffled her. Especially a boy like Dudley who was clearly a loyal and caring boy. (A Hufflepuff if ever she’d seen one.)

“Mr. Potter, your parents are both dead.” Minerva wishes she could waffle about it, wishes she could allow herself a moment of weakness. It would be so much easier to use an euphemism ‘they handed of their invisibly cloaks’, ‘they’re exploring the Seeker’s kingdom’, even Minerva’s least favourite: ‘their wands flew off and they’ve gone to chase them down’. Such things would only confuse the poor boy and she refuses to do him the unkindness of futile hope.

“I know,” Harry says, he’s twists his hands and refuses to look up. Minerva feels a cold flush go through her. “They died in a car crash right?”

Minerva pauses. That was not what she had been expecting.

“No, Mr. Potter, they were murdered. A decade ago the wizarding world was at war against a very evil man called ‘He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’. He killed your parents. When he tried to kill you however, the curse he cast backfired and he was banished.” Minerva looks at Harry, looks into his eyes, green like Lily’s. “You are famous Mr. Potter, for having cursed the ‘Killing Curse’, which had never before failed, and for defeating the Dark Lord Voldemort.”

She hates that name. Memories of the Taboo still make her shudder as she says it, but he deserves to know.

“But I was just a baby.”

“Indeed. The Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, believes that your mother sacrificed herself to save you.”

“Oh.” Harry whispers, and Minerva wants to reach out and pull Harry into her arm and plead forgiveness. (She trusts Sirius. She trusted him.) Instead she swallows down old agonies and thanks Merlin that at least Harry has Dudley, who pulls the smaller boy against him in a well worn movement of love.

“Because of this, there may still be people who would want to hurt you. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had followers known as Death Eaters and while many of them were sent to Azkaban - the Wizarding World’s prison - many escaped. You must be extremely careful. You were placed with your closest living family for your own safety. Clearly that was a mistake.” She warned Albus. She did. She will not be as willing to follow him blindly again.

“It’s okay Mrs. McGonagall, it’s not your fault,” Harry says, and if there’s anger in it, Minerva allows herself to ignore it. (She’s angry too.)

“Very well. Collect what you will need for a day of shopping, I will be waiting by the door.”

***

By all rights, Minerva would hand off the job of chasing down Muggleborns to Severus - he is the youngest member of the staff after all. She knows that would be a terrible idea though. That, and seeing as the children enter Diagon Alley for the first time is one of the most wonderful things in the world. The wonder in their eyes. The flush of their cheers. The grin so wide it must hurt. For all the pain these boys have been through, they are still young Wizards entering their world for the first time.

“First we will be going to Gringotts - the Wizarding Bank - to acquire gold to pay for your equipment. Mr. Potter, as you have not turned eleven, you don’t yet have access to your vault. I will pay for your supplies myself, which will be paid back once you are able.”

“Yes m’am, but I already had my eleventh birthday. It’s on March 9th.”

“It is not,” and Minerva is almost offended. She did not stand in the hallway of Saint Mungo’s for three days at the end of July for Harry Potter to have been born in _March_. “you were born on July 31st, around 10:30 at night. I would know, considering I was there.”

“Oh.”

“Do you know my birthday Mrs. McGonagall,” Mr. Bennett asks. Minerva looks down at the quieter boy, seeing young Peter in his soft face and painfully obvious need to please.

“I do,” they turn the corner and even though Gringotts in now in sight the boys are still distracted, “you were born yesterday on June 23rd. I suppose we might have time to go for a birthday ice cream if the two of you are well behaved and we can get through the supplies list in a timely manner.” She pretends to miss the look of suspicious excitement of their faces at the thought. She can’t help but want to curse Albus for this. They should have grown up loved. Both of them.

Glancing around, Minerva is exceedingly thankful for Mr. Bennett, had they come through Diagon Alley at the start of August then the streets would undoubtedly be packed with fame hunters looking to catch a glimpse of the Boy-Who-Lived. No one was expecting to see him at the end of June with a Muggleborn. The general assumption of the public was that he was being trained by wizards, after all. She nearly grinned at the idea of seeing Augusta Longbottom’s face when she realised that the Potter heir was being raised by muggles. Wool’s worn image lingered too close to the surface for Minerva to enjoy it too much though. The boys quiet murmuring went silent as they realised they were entering Gringotts.

“Boys, I expect you both to be on your best behaviour while we are here. We will be going to three different accounts. My own, the scholarship fund, and a third account of behalf of Hogwarts. Before we enter, the bank is run by a creature known as a goblin. You are to treat them with the utmost respect. Each of you, take one of my hands, you cannot wander off while we are here”

With the boys in her grip she was once more reminded of their district physical differences. Harry’s hand was thin and cool while Mr. Bennett’s were warm, soft, and slightly sweaty. She didn’t allow herself to wonder if this was what it would be like to have children, had Elphinstone had survived.

***

Dudley and Harry grinned at one another as they approached another silly looking building - Florean Fortescue’s ice cream shop this time.

“Do you think the walls are crooked ‘cause they don’t have architects?” Dudley whispered to Harry, who grinned and nodded.

“They probably do it all with magic.” What a great word _magic_. The thought seemed to occur to both of them at the same time, making them giggle simultaneous.

“Brill’” Dudley sighed happily, “positively brill.”

***

The room that Harry and Dudley shared was small, for most families it would be a single, _maybe_ a double bedroom. Harry and Dudley usually shared it with two other boys. Jamie had been moved to a boy’s detention centre and Ethan was being fostered with a wealthy couple in Kennington, so they had the room to themselves for now.

Dudley had pushed his bunk bed against Harry’s so they could lay, somewhat overlapping, on the bottom bunks while they read. They both claimed the lower bunk since the little kids thought the top bunk was exciting and it was easier to share from the bottom.

At the foot of each bunk was their trunks, each full with a set of clothes and books for Hogwarts. It seemed wasteful to not share the books since they could do so fairly easily, but Professor McGonagall had insisted. She had encouraged them to get a couple of books aimed at Muggleborn students, which they happily shared.

Harry was reading _Hogwarts a History,_ which although dense had some interesting information in it. He would much prefer if they’d put the important information in a pamphlet instead. It was nice to know that the staircase-maze was designed by Rowena Ravenclaw, but he would rather avoid having to stumble through reading about the minute differences between ‘long-term intention based charms’ and ‘long-term charms that reflect intentions’ whatever that meant.

Dudley was reading (or rather, looking at the pictures and reading the interesting looking bits of) _An Introduction to Magic_. It had a number of fascinating pieces, not to mention the pictures _moved_. So far his favourite part was Quidditch. It sounded terrifying. (Dudley was looking forward to trying out as beater.)

“Have you read a bit about the Hogwarts Houses?” Harry asked, looking mildly concerned at on of the pages.

“No. Why?”

“There are four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. We _have_ to get into the same one. Your house decides where you eat, sleep, and your timetable. The problem is that the book doesn’t explain how they decide where you go, it just refers to the ‘Sorting’.”

“Maybe we can just ask to go into the same house.” Dudley said, not quite able to imagine _not_ being with Harry. It seemed as infeasible as having some thus far missed relative who would happily adopt the both of them.

“Maybe,” Harry sounded dubious. “Apparently Gryffindors are brave, Ravenclaws are wise, Slytherins are cunning, and Hufflepuffs are loyal.”

“Ha! So where will you go?” Dudley laughed. Harry sent Dudley a miffed glancedand attempted (failed) to swat Dudley in the head with the 300 page tomb that was _Hogwarts a History_.

“I don’t know,” Harry said after a moment, “I don’t think I’m particularly wise, cunning, loyal, _or_ brave.” There’s a brief pause before Dudley turns to him.

“You’re joking right? You’re all those things. You’re probably the bravest person I know. You smart-talked Mrs. Nancy when she got mad at me for dropping Artie. Although, to be fair, it was pretty stupid too.”

“So not Ravenclaw?”

“Nah. I don’t think I could go there anyway. All that reading would drive me bonkers.” Dudley sighed and rolled over onto his back. “You could definitely go into Gryffindor, but I don’t think you should.” Harry sat up, hunched over to avoid hitting his head on the top bunk. “You get into enough trouble anyway. I don’t want you to get more hurt.”

“It’s not my fault that the bus left before I got on.”

“I know. I’m not saying it is. I’m just saying that you find trouble enough without being with people who will egg you on.”

“We don’t necessarily know that they would do that,” Harry said, though he didn’t really believe it.

“You survived wizard-Hitler. They’ll probably expect you to be the next coming of Merlin.”

“If they do then I’m not sure being in a different house would help. Fine though, I trust you. So Hufflepuff or Slytherin?”

“Is there anything else about them in the book?” Dudley asked, glancing at it.

“Hufflepuffs are known for being loyal and hardworking. Helga Hufflepuff said that her house would accept any student, so they’re kind of known for being the left overs.” Harry said, scanning the page. “Slytherin has a bad reputation because ‘wizard-Hitler’ was from there. And Salazar Slytherin didn’t like Muggleborns.”

“Hufflepuff it is then.” Dudley said, nodding with more confidence than he felt.

**Author's Note:**

> I had a 30k first draft written and I thought I would have lots of chapters out very quickly but then made a change and now have to re-write it all. There will be more, it may take a little while.
> 
> -Mysana, July 2018


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